A freeholder is the elected county government representative in New Jersey who serves on the county's main governing body, the Board of Chosen Freeholders. The term Freeholder came from ancient England where a man had to own property to be a holder of free land. The colonists chose a Freeholder in each town to represent them in the Assembly and to conduct the daily business of the county. The Cape May County Board of Chosen Freeholders was incorporated by an act of the New Jersey Legislature in 1798. For more information view What Is a Freeholder? (PDF).